San Lorenzo in consecutive triumphs; CEU faces Pirates

Games Thursday (Olivarez College gym) 12 noon. — CEU vs Lyceum-Batangas 2 p.m. — TIP vs Bulacan State University

On the same day Diliman College’s touted import Adama Diakhite hardly made his presence felt, another African reinforcement stole the spotlight.

Benin native Soulemane Chabi Yo showed his worth Monday as Colegio de San Lorenzo turned back host Olivarez College 86-72 for its second straight victory in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) Season 2 at the Sea Lions’ home court in Sucat, Parañaque City.

The 6-foot-6 Chabi Yo put together 27 points and 20 rebounds while providing the spark in the Griffins’ decisive breakaway in the second canto that erased an early eight-point deficit.

“It took us a while to get our acts together but once Soulemane got his groove, we just played on another level,” said CDSL coach Boni Garcia. CDSL blew out Lyceum-Batangas 11277 earlier.

Yo’s performance overshadowed the Diliman Blue Dragons’ 75-60 victory over University of Batangas, with the 6-foot-9 Diakhite sputtering with 9 points and 9 rebounds in limited action in the second half.

“Adama was well scouted so he clearly struggled,” said Blue Dragons coach Rensy Bajar, who turned to top locals Jerico Mondala, Joseph Brutas and Rey Bauzon in holding off the Brahman’ fightback.

Mondala had a double-double performance of 12 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists and five steals while Brutas fired a team-high 19 points, seven during the Blue Dragons’ push after the Brahman threatened to within 55-53.

“Jerico and my other local players are always ready to play every time. I’ve been telling them that they need to work doubly hard if they want to earn more playing time,” added Bajar, whose team posted a hard-earned 6765 win over Technological Institute of the Philippines over the weekend.

John Caspe tallied a game-high 22 points for the Brahman, who dropped their second straight match and joined the Sea Lions at the cellar of the eightteam field.

First Game

CDSL 86 – Chabi Yo 27, Sablan 17, Gabriel 15, Formento 8, Laman 7, Callano 6, Baldevia 3, Calizo 2, Alvarado 1, Borja 0, Rojas 0, Vargas 0. OLIVAREZ 72 – Castro 13, Bermudes 12, Lalata 10, Rabe 6, Saguiguit 6, Sunga 6, Maganga 5, Prado 5, Elie 3, Almajeda 2, Begaso 2, Solis 2, Geronimo 0, Navarro 0, Uduba 0. Quarters: 19-17; 44-27; 64-45; 86-72.

Second Game

DILIMAN 75 – Brutas 19, Mondala 12, Gerero 10, Diakhite 9, Bauzon 7, Chavenia 6, Darang 4, Ligon 4, Corpuz 2, Mbiya 2, Handag 0. UB 60 – Caspe 22, Espiritu 11, Gotam 10, Yemeli 9, Alade 4, Clarion 2, Heidelburg 2, Castro 0, Tabol 0, Gabriel 0, Villegas 0. Quarters: 20-17; 40-31; 53-48; 75-60.